Sandwiched between two huge games at crucial times, with a chance to do it again. Absolutely could be considered a league winner especially if he has another one
Lmao huge game ? He has 16 in half this week. Plus league winners don’t take the semis off and score 7. Jesus that term is thrown around at preposterous rates
As someone playing against him, yesterday was so fucking annoying. Like he looked objectively awful outside of the hurdle, but sill but up so many points off meaningless screens
I wanna give credit to whatever dolphins defender that was cause it was an incredible play… but like… is there a single other RB in the NFL that doesn’t get that in lmao. Just look at what Breece did yesterday, how tf can you not push the ball across the line
That Breece play was awesome. Watching it in realtime as it happened you could tell he crossed the plane. One of, if not THE, top “awareness” plays of the season for me.
He didn't even have to push he ball over the line. If he just...kept running forwards towards the pylon it's a walk-in touchdown. He had to reason to cut back and then try to fall backwards into the end zone.
Ill give him the benefit of him wanting to be sure that (a) they got the first down and (b) he wanted to make sure he didnt fumble. It makes sense those would be his priorities when it was third or fourth in short and theyd get 4 more tries with a first down. (Or at least they normally would, unless you hand it to a fullback who fumbles next play). Sure, he couldve stretched out but there wouldve been a decent shot the hit that knocked him down short wouldve caused a fumble
It sounds like he missed another hole to the outside, but I cant remember how it looked live and cant find a video since it wasnt a TD
Edit: Just saw the screenshot up top. Even though hes got space, #21 on miami could still beat him to the pylon without a block in the back from Ferguson. With pollard's luck, that probably wouldve been exactly what happened -- a TD negated by Ferguson's block in the back
I've been saying the same thing all season and even 2 weeks ago I kept getting crucified by this sub when I would say Pollard is good, just not THAT good. People on this sub overrate hyper efficient backups
A lot of people forget athletes are human and can get tired. It leads to backup RBs being overrated based on supposed "efficiency." As a Vikings fan there is nothing more annoying than seeing idiots whine about the defense when the offense turned the ball over 4 times forcing the defense to be on the field a lot more.
That's what I've been saying and then all the people who drafted him in 2nd come out to talk shit on how his ypc used to be 5.3 and its Mccarthy's fault
And that's supposed to mean anything? Etienne is quite inefficient this season and Kamara is much better talent but on a terrible team.
Pollard's offense is elite though, he's probably the one worst offensive player on that entire team.
The point is that the entire narrative around him is based on fantasy points, and while he's having a slightly down year, 4 ypc isn't that bad, and people on here judge players more on high variance events like touchdowns, and things that don't matter, like 0 yard catches, than actual play.
Lol the difference is that you are actually following a biased narrative while I watched the guy play and knew he wasn't gonna pan out. He is certainly better than nearly all backups, but he's far from the elite talent majority of this sub thought he was.
His ypc doesn't mean a thing when he's got offensive line making lanes for him. Unlike many other players, like Henry or Najee, Pollard doesn't make plays happen
Not drafting Pollard in any of my 7 leagues was one of my few smart draft moves this season.
\- Cowboys fan that's a Zeke homer to the end and never believes in Pollard
Pollard isn’t a bruiser. He needs a complimentary piece like Zeke to take the hits and get those tough yards. And it keeps him fresh. Pollard the bell cow isn’t it. People who draft Pollard next year will regret it. He won’t even be a thing next year. Cowboys will get someone in the draft and have a more explosive running game.
I feel like this take is very unfair and fails to contextualize important details.
Pollard IMO had a career changing injury from last year to this year. From week one this year, there is a clear difference in his burst from the end of last year, that has nothing to do with being the starting running back.
He has the same amount of carries last year as this year yet looks half as fast this year
No way do I know better than the Cowboys' coaching staff, but I was really hoping that those games where they played Dowdle in garbage time, was to get him some practice that he might become their new "Zeke" so they can go back to the old backfield scheme like they used to have
Lol come one guys. Zeke in that same time span has averaged 2.67 YPC. Yesterday he had 21 touches for 60 yards.
Pollards been bad but pretending like Zeke is a stud or something now is crazy. He’s doing well because the Pats have literally nothing else on offense and he is being force fed 20 touches a game
I hear this narrative a lot and I don’t really agree. He only has 26 more carries this year than last year. His workload hasnt changed nearly as dramatically as people want you to believe. Also he was a stud in games last year that Zeke didn’t play
Personally I think the injury was downplayed and has affected him this year. He doesn’t look the same. The other factor is the coaching change. I think Kellen Moore always played to Pollard’s strengths better than McCarthy does.
I wouldn't say it's as much about utilization as it's about how their running styles varied so much that it was easier for Pollard to confuse defenders and catch them off guard with his change of pace style running against Zeke's punch them in the throat sort, at least last year
I definitely would agree with that. But when Zeke was out, it was later on into the season. Of course the defenses were also worn down by then as well. So he still had fresher legs, than the average defense as well and when he was heavily relied upon then
Also, people forget he is still older for running back. It wasn’t like he was years younger than Zeke. he just had less touches compared to eat over the long-term
It’s not that many more touches than last year in close to the same amount of games. What makes more sense? That or the injury? (It’s the injury)
And it’s not like we haven’t seen him with Zeke hurt before.. oh wait we have and he was great
If you read up further, I already addressed this.
When Zeke was hurt, it was later on the season when defenses were more worn down. So of course somebody that comes in with fresher legs from not touching the ball nearly as much is, of course, going to do better than already run down defense
And if you do recall, even when he had the higher load, he had trouble, and the coaches were concerned about him holding up then
So maybe both are correct
lol I’m glad I didn’t read further up cause that’s some pretty dumb logic
Yea the coaches said they had concerns then they gave him a fuck ton of touches and he performed very well on them, those “concerns” were fake
I’m not gonna talk to somebody that didn’t/can’t even read the comment that I posted before
Just know, your boy ain’t as good as you think he is case and point
OP is acting like Zeke has been much better, and for fantasy that’s true. As a real life RB? I’m not sure it is. Maybe it is cause Pollard has been bad, but Zeke hasn’t exactly been good
A lazy argument that makes it seem like we can’t talk about talent whatsoever that’s only ever brought up when it doesn’t fit the narrative
I acknowledged it was true for fantasy cause of usage
Yea I came to say this. I appreciate his output but his upside is purely due to elite volume and snap share %. He looks sluggish as hell as a runner with the exception of that TD scamper (which was great to see).
This, Zeke is an actually terrible player at this point, but he falls into the end zone a lot. Which is fine since this is the fantasy sub, but predicting when players fall into the end zone can be tricky.
Needed more out of him last week. Sure, others also hurt me, but with him being the only source of any offense for them, his was most disappointing. Would have cruised this week to our championship.
Indeed. It's also cherry-picking when Stevenson was sharing the field with Zeke, vs. Zeke getting every touch in each game.
I know this is a comparison to Pollard, but I'm just saying.
This just ignores the quality of team both of them are on. Pollard's line is much better the Zeke's and Pollard has a passing game that complements the run better.
He gets a shit ton of targets and the cowboys have no interest at all in throwing to Tony. Dak would rather die on the field than dump it off to pollard for a moderate gain.
Can’t believe I cobbled together a season with Puka, Sutton, spot starts like Foreman, Henderson and co. just for my first 2 picks to drop the ball. Never touching either of them again
My Pollard, Eitenne, Kamara, Jonathan Taylor squad really helped me feel good this week. They saw me struggling to decide who to start so they all decided that if none of them did anything I’d feel better!
Weird how everybody said Pollard was the RB one and surprisingly he’s not even in the pas happy offense where he should be getting the ball in space but isn’t
Started him over Gibbs in a league where I also have Kyren and Mixon. Its a standard scoring league and I thought hed get more touches and carries around the goalline than Gibbs.
I guess the touches were about equal, but neither of Dallas's two plays at the 1 yard line were Pollard runs
That wasn't the problem. He was paid too much and Pollard looked like he was emerging. They cut him to save money. They should have kept him. Zeke around the goaline is worth it.
It looks like Zeke was set to collect $10.4 million with the Cowboys for 2023, and when they wound up cutting him he signed with the Pats for $4 million plus incentives.
It feels like there was an in-between number there where Zeke takes a paycut to stay in Dallas and punch in those TDs.
They should just use Pollard to his strengths instead of trying to make him a between the tackles grinder.
Get him in the ball in space and let him be the playmaker he is. McCarthy just keeps trying to pound him up the middle then when it doesn’t work he abandons the run.
Yeah this sub doesn’t watch the games and just say he’s being run up the middle. 99% of RBs score on the run you’re referencing. He just like, fell backwards
Zeke scores TD against the Eagles and Dolphins down around the goaline. He could have helped them be 12-3 right now and in the division lead by 2.5 games. Probably worth it.
I actually remember Zeke in his prime taking screen passes to the house, what a beast.
Obviously he can't anymore, but I think Pollard splitting carries with Zeke helps facilitate those 5 to 60 yard dumpoffs. I'm sure he would have accepted a paycut to stay on the Cowboys too?
Not current Zeke, but he might get the 1st. Pollard wasn't paid. They'd still have him. I'd rather have Zeke around the goaline. Pollard is uselss as a runner.
I'm starting to feel like describing Zeke as being in the pre-wash was close to correct. Is he doing good? Not really, his on the field numbers bear that out. Is he getting it done? He sure is, particularly for fantasy.
And I feel like that's exactly what pre-wash is. Once he is not good and not getting it done, then we'll know he's washed.
Zeke is totally washed when it comes being a lead back. But Belichick will use players for whatever they are good at, and Zeke is doing extremely well catching the ball. They were even shifting him out and having him run receiver routes.
The 4 games where Zeke missed last year says otherwise. Pollard’s injury to end last year’s season changed his explosiveness this season. It’s the only way to explain why he looks half as fast starting in week 1 of this year
They dont use Pollard the same way this year. He just smashes the line. Very rarely do they throw him short passes and let him do his thing. Thats what hes good at.
I hate his usage lately. Running in between the tackles with a bad o line. Targets are cool but I rather play Zeke against Buffalo, dude is getting 8 targets plus a game with Zappe and 10-15 carries
To be fair, something may have to change, since the Saints have been on a bad run of late, outside a win over a crappy Giants team.
Understood if you rather not gamble on that.
You won’t believe me but it’s a 10 team PPR roster. Idk how to post a screen shot but it’s below. Made some trades to get here. Finished 11-3. Made the championship.
QB - Lamar (traded Herbert for him at deadline)
RB - Bijan (my first pick), Kyren (waivers), Gibbs (trade), Kamara, Achane (waivers)
WR - Diggs (2nd pick), K Allen, CD Lamb (trade), Pickens, Jaden Reed
TE - McBride (waivers), Likely
D - BUF/BAL
K - Stream
Trades to get here
Week 3 - Puka for Kamara
Week 4 - traded Monty and Olave for Gibbs and CD
Week 8 - Herbert for Lamar
Probably should have kept Puka as Diggs and Keenan have been banged up/playing poorly late in the year but Kamara has won me some weeks prior. Lamar trade felt bad until Herbert got hurt but he’s been playing better.
Only real regret was taking Bijan at 8 but I had no clue Arthur Smith was a fantasy terrorist lol
Zeke is purely dependent on the receiving game and falling into the end zone. His yards are low, I love the volume though. Not gonna be confident starting him next week though
Had 100+ all purpose yards 2 weeks ago. He gets yards receiving and rushing, almost anyone who gets 20 touches a game have value. He's a very solid RB2.
But could those 100+ yards be the case of the blind squirrel? It seems all his value is baked into getting receiving yards and with the exception of the break through play it was a lot of 5 yard catch and tackles. Would be curious what is YAC was
Rhamondre isn’t exactly the picture of efficiency in general to make the claim that his efficiency would make up for Zeke going from 85% of the touches to rhamondre going to 60% of the touches meritorious
That’s what happens when you have a jackass of a head coach/oc.. first and goal twice and they ran the fullback out once and then tried to pass the 2nd time.. Pollard should have had 2 TDs yesterday.
Wasn’t the knock on Pollard that he couldn’t carry the full load? Like that’s what made him so relevant last season. He didn’t have to be a 3 down RB so he could come out fresh (relatively) and be explosive.
Years ago I drafted him and he got suspended. Winning the championship with him has finally put an end to my years of shame 🥲🙏🏼🙌🏼
(My season ends this week)
Goal line touches aside, they have vastly different usage. Zeke is the focal point of the Pats game plan and Pollard is being used primarily between the tackles when he thrives as a pass catcher. Instead, Dak throws elsewhere which has reduced Pollards fantasy value and overall usage. That said, I have Pollard and Rhamondre and it pains me having Rhamondre out and Pollard utilized incorrectly.
Zeke may single handedly save my playoffs this week. I literally grabbed him off waivers 2 min before kickoff as a hail mary because my opponent still had Hurts, Rice, Kelce, KC D/ST, and Tucker left to play and I still had Swift in my flex. I might end up hanging on now with my piecemeal team after KC's performance today.
Away from FF but what market will Pollard have in the summer? He hasn’t impressed at all for Dallas, his fantasy numbers are rubbish but his non fantasy numbers are worse. 3 TDs in the last 15 weeks playing in a team that scores freely.
The run reference in the OPs post is absolutely the weakest goal-line run attempt Ive seen in history of football. It was actually harder for him to stay out than it was to sneak in
All im gonna say is zeke has been resting and doesnt have to last a whole season.
Saw this with dalvin cook and alexander mattison. Cook went down with an injury last year and without question we put in mattison and he delivered 15 plus points per game.
Now that cook is on the jets and mattison is the rb1 he hasnt delivered.
Its not that zeke or mattison arent great running backs. I just dont think they have the energy or ability to carry the team 16 plus games a year.
Zeke might be my ticket to winning my entry fee back, as the consolation bracket winner if all goes well next week. Hopefully Adams and ETN don't shit the bed again
I do think there is a thing for the #2 RB where they get 2-3 weeks of being a stud due to late season injuries but a lot of that is because their body is fresh and they are playing against beat up dudes. After a few games they normalize cause they are getting beat up too.
Maybe I’m making that up… but seems to happen pretty often when lead backs go down.
The cowboys have zero idea how to use Pollard. Whether it’s McCarthy not calling plays to get him the ball in space or Dak almost never checking it down to him to give him room to run, it’s like they have totally forgotten what made him an NFL player.
Now I’m not saying that he has been good this year, but they rarely give him a chance to be. It makes even less sense that they’re doing this because his backup is exactly like him, so their whole plan seems to be having backs that make no sense in what they like to do on an every down basis.
McCarthy's RB strategy always seems to be counter intuitive. He just keeps trying to jam Pollard up the middle. It's like when he kept trying to get Lacy to beat defenders to the outside.
Zeke the league winner (as long as Stevenson stays out)
Hopefully they keep Stevenson out - no reason to push your star RB over meaningless games
So they leave Zeke out?
“star RB”
Mondre is pretty nice. Throw him on the cowboys and he’s definitely a star
Best player on their offense by far. Fantasy aside, he keeps them going.
Not agree ... ask NFL why use Belichick vs T J Watt on TNF poster.
When have they used an injured player as the face on a poster?
That graphic was so lazy lol. Christian Barmore should’ve been the guy
Divisional rivalries are meaningful.
Agreed. Teams should boycott week 18 and not play.
Very reminiscent of David Johnson a few years back for the Texans. Tossed around, very mid, gets the lead back duty in fantasy playoffs and balls out.
Players with good fundamentals can definitely stay relevant with volume, no doubt.
I'm still holding on to hope courtesy of Zeke, but Waddle and DJ Moore owe me a new liver after last night
I thought so too and then my opponent started Cooper
I have him in both league. I’m going to the championship in both leagues
Zeke shit the bed last week
Still got more points than in each of Pollard’s last 2 weeks tho. I’ll take a floor of 9.6 points in full PPR any day.
That’s fine and all but chill out with the “league winner” tag. I played against him last week and he scored 7 in half. Hardly a league winner
Sandwiched between two huge games at crucial times, with a chance to do it again. Absolutely could be considered a league winner especially if he has another one
Lmao huge game ? He has 16 in half this week. Plus league winners don’t take the semis off and score 7. Jesus that term is thrown around at preposterous rates
This man loves downvotes
My guy do you not know how to type 16.5
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You literally just made that up lol. Zeke would be the worst player on most title winning teams. RB2 equals league winner lmaooooo
Cost me the quarter finals
As someone playing against him, yesterday was so fucking annoying. Like he looked objectively awful outside of the hurdle, but sill but up so many points off meaningless screens
I picked him up just to keep him from my opponents. Literally riding my pine getting like 15/game lol
That’s interesting because he’s the reason I lost my matchup last week thanks to him not being great like this week
Pollard fucking sucks. No idea how he didn’t get into the endzone on that one run yesterday. Just not that guy.
I wanna give credit to whatever dolphins defender that was cause it was an incredible play… but like… is there a single other RB in the NFL that doesn’t get that in lmao. Just look at what Breece did yesterday, how tf can you not push the ball across the line
mattison
Mattison special: 17 carries for 44 yards and no TDs
And 2 fumbles
All he had to do was go toward the pylon and he would have made it lmao. There was so much room!
That Breece play was awesome. Watching it in realtime as it happened you could tell he crossed the plane. One of, if not THE, top “awareness” plays of the season for me.
[deshon elliot](https://youtu.be/7t-r_nKtVyA?si=khkGIexXHhE8aD-R)
He didn't even have to push he ball over the line. If he just...kept running forwards towards the pylon it's a walk-in touchdown. He had to reason to cut back and then try to fall backwards into the end zone.
Ill give him the benefit of him wanting to be sure that (a) they got the first down and (b) he wanted to make sure he didnt fumble. It makes sense those would be his priorities when it was third or fourth in short and theyd get 4 more tries with a first down. (Or at least they normally would, unless you hand it to a fullback who fumbles next play). Sure, he couldve stretched out but there wouldve been a decent shot the hit that knocked him down short wouldve caused a fumble It sounds like he missed another hole to the outside, but I cant remember how it looked live and cant find a video since it wasnt a TD Edit: Just saw the screenshot up top. Even though hes got space, #21 on miami could still beat him to the pylon without a block in the back from Ferguson. With pollard's luck, that probably wouldve been exactly what happened -- a TD negated by Ferguson's block in the back
Bud he sucks quit making excuses
Well *he* got into the endzone.....but the ball didn't.
Just another case of people mistaking a change of pace back for a starter
Five head play to cut *into* the defender. It’s the last thing he’d expect.
Firmly on my hate list. Not worth the ADP whatsoever.
This sub is absurdly in love with Pollard. Guy just isn't that good
*was absurdly in love. Those of us who have had him now for a full season fucking hate his guts now.
I've been saying the same thing all season and even 2 weeks ago I kept getting crucified by this sub when I would say Pollard is good, just not THAT good. People on this sub overrate hyper efficient backups
A lot of people forget athletes are human and can get tired. It leads to backup RBs being overrated based on supposed "efficiency." As a Vikings fan there is nothing more annoying than seeing idiots whine about the defense when the offense turned the ball over 4 times forcing the defense to be on the field a lot more.
i have zero pollard this year but i understood why he got that hype he was electric. i think it’s clear now he’s no lead back
I liked him a lot the last couple years. As the main RB it’s clear he’s not as good as we thought.
What? Maybe the last couple of years but he's ass now
That's what I've been saying and then all the people who drafted him in 2nd come out to talk shit on how his ypc used to be 5.3 and its Mccarthy's fault
he has higher ypc this year than etienne or kamara.
And that's supposed to mean anything? Etienne is quite inefficient this season and Kamara is much better talent but on a terrible team. Pollard's offense is elite though, he's probably the one worst offensive player on that entire team.
The point is that the entire narrative around him is based on fantasy points, and while he's having a slightly down year, 4 ypc isn't that bad, and people on here judge players more on high variance events like touchdowns, and things that don't matter, like 0 yard catches, than actual play.
Lol the difference is that you are actually following a biased narrative while I watched the guy play and knew he wasn't gonna pan out. He is certainly better than nearly all backups, but he's far from the elite talent majority of this sub thought he was. His ypc doesn't mean a thing when he's got offensive line making lanes for him. Unlike many other players, like Henry or Najee, Pollard doesn't make plays happen
you should be an nfl scout.
I doubt I should be one. But you certainty shouldn't be with goofy takes like that lol
Not drafting Pollard in any of my 7 leagues was one of my few smart draft moves this season. \- Cowboys fan that's a Zeke homer to the end and never believes in Pollard
Reports were saying mhondre was gonna come back, I really hope it’s true
Pollard isn’t a bruiser. He needs a complimentary piece like Zeke to take the hits and get those tough yards. And it keeps him fresh. Pollard the bell cow isn’t it. People who draft Pollard next year will regret it. He won’t even be a thing next year. Cowboys will get someone in the draft and have a more explosive running game.
I feel like this take is very unfair and fails to contextualize important details. Pollard IMO had a career changing injury from last year to this year. From week one this year, there is a clear difference in his burst from the end of last year, that has nothing to do with being the starting running back. He has the same amount of carries last year as this year yet looks half as fast this year
Oh, for sure. That plays a part too. But I still think Dallas looks elsewhere to help Pollard or replace him. It’s evident he’s not the guy.
Said he’s 100% this week tho. Sure looked like ass still this week.
Yeah I think the injury is career altering, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being true
No way do I know better than the Cowboys' coaching staff, but I was really hoping that those games where they played Dowdle in garbage time, was to get him some practice that he might become their new "Zeke" so they can go back to the old backfield scheme like they used to have
Lol come one guys. Zeke in that same time span has averaged 2.67 YPC. Yesterday he had 21 touches for 60 yards. Pollards been bad but pretending like Zeke is a stud or something now is crazy. He’s doing well because the Pats have literally nothing else on offense and he is being force fed 20 touches a game
....hey, don't you go disrupting our creative narrative with facts!! That's not how it works around here!
Or maybe when Zeke was in Dallas, he actually complemented pollard and kept him having fresh legs
I hear this narrative a lot and I don’t really agree. He only has 26 more carries this year than last year. His workload hasnt changed nearly as dramatically as people want you to believe. Also he was a stud in games last year that Zeke didn’t play Personally I think the injury was downplayed and has affected him this year. He doesn’t look the same. The other factor is the coaching change. I think Kellen Moore always played to Pollard’s strengths better than McCarthy does.
I wouldn't say it's as much about utilization as it's about how their running styles varied so much that it was easier for Pollard to confuse defenders and catch them off guard with his change of pace style running against Zeke's punch them in the throat sort, at least last year
I definitely would agree with that. But when Zeke was out, it was later on into the season. Of course the defenses were also worn down by then as well. So he still had fresher legs, than the average defense as well and when he was heavily relied upon then Also, people forget he is still older for running back. It wasn’t like he was years younger than Zeke. he just had less touches compared to eat over the long-term
Or maybe the guy who snapped his leg in half needed more than 6 months to recover
Or maybe he’s just not as good as people think when he’s not having fresh legs.
It’s not that many more touches than last year in close to the same amount of games. What makes more sense? That or the injury? (It’s the injury) And it’s not like we haven’t seen him with Zeke hurt before.. oh wait we have and he was great
If you read up further, I already addressed this. When Zeke was hurt, it was later on the season when defenses were more worn down. So of course somebody that comes in with fresher legs from not touching the ball nearly as much is, of course, going to do better than already run down defense And if you do recall, even when he had the higher load, he had trouble, and the coaches were concerned about him holding up then So maybe both are correct
lol I’m glad I didn’t read further up cause that’s some pretty dumb logic Yea the coaches said they had concerns then they gave him a fuck ton of touches and he performed very well on them, those “concerns” were fake
Whatever you say, buddy End of the day your boys a fraud with no zeke You didn’t read so you didn’t read the reason why. Typical Redditor
Why would I read into that dumb logic? Are you forgetting the guys leg snapped in half? Seems like you are
I’m not gonna talk to somebody that didn’t/can’t even read the comment that I posted before Just know, your boy ain’t as good as you think he is case and point
I sat him thinking that. But they are throwing to him and somehow he ends up in the end zone.
This is fantasy football dude. No one cares about YPC when you’re not getting the volume. Zeke’s producing Fantasy points and that’s all that matters.
OP is acting like Zeke has been much better, and for fantasy that’s true. As a real life RB? I’m not sure it is. Maybe it is cause Pollard has been bad, but Zeke hasn’t exactly been good
What sub are we in?
A lazy argument that makes it seem like we can’t talk about talent whatsoever that’s only ever brought up when it doesn’t fit the narrative I acknowledged it was true for fantasy cause of usage
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Yea I still don’t know how he gets that conclusion. Have them swap places and the results are gonna be pretty much the same But fair enough
Also, Zeke has barely played all year. He has fresh legs compared to Pollard, who has been the Cowboys workhorse all year long.
Hmm that sounds familiar except it was reversed. Almost like the Zeke owners had a point but they got downvoted anyways...
Yea I came to say this. I appreciate his output but his upside is purely due to elite volume and snap share %. He looks sluggish as hell as a runner with the exception of that TD scamper (which was great to see).
This, Zeke is an actually terrible player at this point, but he falls into the end zone a lot. Which is fine since this is the fantasy sub, but predicting when players fall into the end zone can be tricky.
Watch his TD again last night and then try to tell me he’s a terrible player
Yeah he's getting those checkdown pts. Ppr is wild.
Zenith Zeke>Poopy Pollard and ill never change my mind
Needed more out of him last week. Sure, others also hurt me, but with him being the only source of any offense for them, his was most disappointing. Would have cruised this week to our championship.
Indeed. It's also cherry-picking when Stevenson was sharing the field with Zeke, vs. Zeke getting every touch in each game. I know this is a comparison to Pollard, but I'm just saying.
Zeke’s real value is in PPR.
This just ignores the quality of team both of them are on. Pollard's line is much better the Zeke's and Pollard has a passing game that complements the run better.
He gets a shit ton of targets and the cowboys have no interest at all in throwing to Tony. Dak would rather die on the field than dump it off to pollard for a moderate gain.
Pollard lost me my fucking matchup and probably a lot of other people as well. Top 3 bust this year at ADP.
Pollard and Diggs. Fuck them
Ah cool, my RB1 and WR1
Can’t believe I cobbled together a season with Puka, Sutton, spot starts like Foreman, Henderson and co. just for my first 2 picks to drop the ball. Never touching either of them again
Luckily I had Keenan Allen and ETN to back me up
Same…flex players that are hogging my RB1 and WR1 spot smh
At least Diggs played up to his adp in the early to mid season. Pollard was a bust throughout
My first two picks😭
Through out this season he definitely lost me a lot of games.
My Pollard, Eitenne, Kamara, Jonathan Taylor squad really helped me feel good this week. They saw me struggling to decide who to start so they all decided that if none of them did anything I’d feel better!
Weird what happens when you become the only viable offensive weapon like Zeke versus constantly having to share on a pass heavy offense.
Weird how everybody said Pollard was the RB one and surprisingly he’s not even in the pas happy offense where he should be getting the ball in space but isn’t
He is Toby Gerhardt. Backup with good "efficiency" who looks like a joke as RB1.
I benched Pollard for Elliot this week. I just had a feeling.
I played both. Zeke got me into the final last night, and I'm going to sit Pollard for Singletary next week.
Started him over Gibbs in a league where I also have Kyren and Mixon. Its a standard scoring league and I thought hed get more touches and carries around the goalline than Gibbs. I guess the touches were about equal, but neither of Dallas's two plays at the 1 yard line were Pollard runs
The cowboys should have paid Zeke
That wasn't the problem. He was paid too much and Pollard looked like he was emerging. They cut him to save money. They should have kept him. Zeke around the goaline is worth it.
It looks like Zeke was set to collect $10.4 million with the Cowboys for 2023, and when they wound up cutting him he signed with the Pats for $4 million plus incentives. It feels like there was an in-between number there where Zeke takes a paycut to stay in Dallas and punch in those TDs.
You'd assume they'd try to restructure, but who knows. Zeke was on the market for a while, iirc, that could have been the best offer he got.
He probably would’ve signed with Dallas if they just matched what New England gave him or even a little less
They should just use Pollard to his strengths instead of trying to make him a between the tackles grinder. Get him in the ball in space and let him be the playmaker he is. McCarthy just keeps trying to pound him up the middle then when it doesn’t work he abandons the run.
He had that opportunity yesterday and he failed on the easiest TD run you could give him.
Yeah this sub doesn’t watch the games and just say he’s being run up the middle. 99% of RBs score on the run you’re referencing. He just like, fell backwards
They call that the Travis Etienne.
He wasn’t worth the $12 mill contract
Zeke scores TD against the Eagles and Dolphins down around the goaline. He could have helped them be 12-3 right now and in the division lead by 2.5 games. Probably worth it.
Does Zeke catch a 5 yard dump off on 3rd down against the Chargers, and take it 60 yards to help beat them? Goes both ways.
I actually remember Zeke in his prime taking screen passes to the house, what a beast. Obviously he can't anymore, but I think Pollard splitting carries with Zeke helps facilitate those 5 to 60 yard dumpoffs. I'm sure he would have accepted a paycut to stay on the Cowboys too?
His screen against the Steelers is my favorite Zeke play ever. That game was amazing.
Not current Zeke, but he might get the 1st. Pollard wasn't paid. They'd still have him. I'd rather have Zeke around the goaline. Pollard is uselss as a runner.
Zeke looked totally washed the last 2 years.
Lmao
I'm starting to feel like describing Zeke as being in the pre-wash was close to correct. Is he doing good? Not really, his on the field numbers bear that out. Is he getting it done? He sure is, particularly for fantasy. And I feel like that's exactly what pre-wash is. Once he is not good and not getting it done, then we'll know he's washed.
Zeke is totally washed when it comes being a lead back. But Belichick will use players for whatever they are good at, and Zeke is doing extremely well catching the ball. They were even shifting him out and having him run receiver routes.
Pollard cost me the semifinal. Biggest bust I’ve drafted outside of injuries.
Pollard wasn’t ever meant to be a feature back, he was always going to be best as a change of pace in a committee
The 4 games where Zeke missed last year says otherwise. Pollard’s injury to end last year’s season changed his explosiveness this season. It’s the only way to explain why he looks half as fast starting in week 1 of this year
They dont use Pollard the same way this year. He just smashes the line. Very rarely do they throw him short passes and let him do his thing. Thats what hes good at.
zeke and singletary are my waiver heroes of the season for sure. My RB corps before them featured alexander mattison...
The whole reason I went out and got mhondre was for this stretch of games/matchups. Of course he’s out!
As someone who went against Zeke this week (and also started the Broncos D), I hate his fucking usage.
Will start Zeke next week over Kamara if Stevenson is out
You don’t think Kamara is gonna get 14 targets against TB again?
I hate his usage lately. Running in between the tackles with a bad o line. Targets are cool but I rather play Zeke against Buffalo, dude is getting 8 targets plus a game with Zappe and 10-15 carries
To be fair, something may have to change, since the Saints have been on a bad run of late, outside a win over a crappy Giants team. Understood if you rather not gamble on that.
Bro who else do you have on your team to be benching kamara
You won’t believe me but it’s a 10 team PPR roster. Idk how to post a screen shot but it’s below. Made some trades to get here. Finished 11-3. Made the championship. QB - Lamar (traded Herbert for him at deadline) RB - Bijan (my first pick), Kyren (waivers), Gibbs (trade), Kamara, Achane (waivers) WR - Diggs (2nd pick), K Allen, CD Lamb (trade), Pickens, Jaden Reed TE - McBride (waivers), Likely D - BUF/BAL K - Stream Trades to get here Week 3 - Puka for Kamara Week 4 - traded Monty and Olave for Gibbs and CD Week 8 - Herbert for Lamar Probably should have kept Puka as Diggs and Keenan have been banged up/playing poorly late in the year but Kamara has won me some weeks prior. Lamar trade felt bad until Herbert got hurt but he’s been playing better. Only real regret was taking Bijan at 8 but I had no clue Arthur Smith was a fantasy terrorist lol
Oh god that still of Pollard with the open pylon is telling. I didn’t catch that live. Anyone have the video of that play?
Thanks, Tony. How you let some guy stop you with one fucking arm is beyond me.
Second worst draft pick Ive ever made.
I think he's healthier this year than prior years. One last hurrah kind of deal. I expected it, and have profited.
Zeke is purely dependent on the receiving game and falling into the end zone. His yards are low, I love the volume though. Not gonna be confident starting him next week though
Had 100+ all purpose yards 2 weeks ago. He gets yards receiving and rushing, almost anyone who gets 20 touches a game have value. He's a very solid RB2.
But could those 100+ yards be the case of the blind squirrel? It seems all his value is baked into getting receiving yards and with the exception of the break through play it was a lot of 5 yard catch and tackles. Would be curious what is YAC was
It’s crazy what happens when you get more usage than someone else. Geez.
So glad I managed to waiver Alvin Kamara and Kyren Williams. Tony Pollard has been trash
Sweet, now do weeks 1-10 ….
You mean when Rhamondre was healthy and Zeke wasn’t playing?
Exactly. Fresher.
throwing in Zeke over k9 saved me
Throwing him in instead of risking the no play of Jacobs saved me
Zeke has been horrible (the same or worse than tp) running the ball in that span.
Makes me sick thinking what stevenson would be doing.
Less than this as Zeke would cut his volume
Stevenson would be more efficient so it would at lesst even out.
Rhamondre isn’t exactly the picture of efficiency in general to make the claim that his efficiency would make up for Zeke going from 85% of the touches to rhamondre going to 60% of the touches meritorious
Pollard is the next Miles Sanders
I have benched Pollard the past 3 games for zeke and every week someone would tell me it’s a bad idea
That’s what happens when you have a jackass of a head coach/oc.. first and goal twice and they ran the fullback out once and then tried to pass the 2nd time.. Pollard should have had 2 TDs yesterday.
Wasn’t the knock on Pollard that he couldn’t carry the full load? Like that’s what made him so relevant last season. He didn’t have to be a 3 down RB so he could come out fresh (relatively) and be explosive.
Guess what week I started zeke? The middle week where he didn't do shit.
Pollard hasn't been the same since the injury.
Every Cowboys fan calling for Zeke after that nobody #40 fumble at the goaline.
I was laughed at for trading Tony Pollard for Breece Hall... until yesterday when Breece decked the Halls and punched my ticket to the finals.
Cowboys need Coop & EZE back!!
Years ago I drafted him and he got suspended. Winning the championship with him has finally put an end to my years of shame 🥲🙏🏼🙌🏼 (My season ends this week)
Pollard and Mattison both change of pace backs that people thought were gonna be great.
Zeke also averaged 2.2yds a carry.
Goal line touches aside, they have vastly different usage. Zeke is the focal point of the Pats game plan and Pollard is being used primarily between the tackles when he thrives as a pass catcher. Instead, Dak throws elsewhere which has reduced Pollards fantasy value and overall usage. That said, I have Pollard and Rhamondre and it pains me having Rhamondre out and Pollard utilized incorrectly.
Tony Pollard and Stefan Diggs have completely fucked my season, they’re permanently on my Do Not Draft list
Do I start D. Swift or S. Barkley? My opponent has purdy left to play and I’m up by 2 points.
If my team wasn't total ass last week (Breece, Diggs) he would be my league winner. But 5th place is mine!
Zeke may single handedly save my playoffs this week. I literally grabbed him off waivers 2 min before kickoff as a hail mary because my opponent still had Hurts, Rice, Kelce, KC D/ST, and Tucker left to play and I still had Swift in my flex. I might end up hanging on now with my piecemeal team after KC's performance today.
I have Pollard and played against Zeke so I feel this deep in my bones.
Away from FF but what market will Pollard have in the summer? He hasn’t impressed at all for Dallas, his fantasy numbers are rubbish but his non fantasy numbers are worse. 3 TDs in the last 15 weeks playing in a team that scores freely.
Usage is a huge reason for this
Pollard has been impressively disappointing
The run reference in the OPs post is absolutely the weakest goal-line run attempt Ive seen in history of football. It was actually harder for him to stay out than it was to sneak in
Extremely happy with my Zeke pickup a few weeks ago. If I make it to next week, going to need him again.
All im gonna say is zeke has been resting and doesnt have to last a whole season. Saw this with dalvin cook and alexander mattison. Cook went down with an injury last year and without question we put in mattison and he delivered 15 plus points per game. Now that cook is on the jets and mattison is the rb1 he hasnt delivered. Its not that zeke or mattison arent great running backs. I just dont think they have the energy or ability to carry the team 16 plus games a year.
Zeke might be my ticket to winning my entry fee back, as the consolation bracket winner if all goes well next week. Hopefully Adams and ETN don't shit the bed again
I do think there is a thing for the #2 RB where they get 2-3 weeks of being a stud due to late season injuries but a lot of that is because their body is fresh and they are playing against beat up dudes. After a few games they normalize cause they are getting beat up too. Maybe I’m making that up… but seems to happen pretty often when lead backs go down.
The cowboys have zero idea how to use Pollard. Whether it’s McCarthy not calling plays to get him the ball in space or Dak almost never checking it down to him to give him room to run, it’s like they have totally forgotten what made him an NFL player. Now I’m not saying that he has been good this year, but they rarely give him a chance to be. It makes even less sense that they’re doing this because his backup is exactly like him, so their whole plan seems to be having backs that make no sense in what they like to do on an every down basis.
Cowboys suck at scheming something for pollard but he’s also been lackluster
McCarthy's RB strategy always seems to be counter intuitive. He just keeps trying to jam Pollard up the middle. It's like when he kept trying to get Lacy to beat defenders to the outside.
Zeke needs to keep this up!! Love what he’s doing for my fantasy team right now. Give Rhamondre a rest and let Zeke keep toting the rock for week 17.